‘Can You Hear Me’ Scam Targets Indian River County

SEBASTIAN, Florida – There’s a new scam targeting cell phone users in Indian River County from people who claim to represent a business.

The scam works by someone calling someone on their cell phone and asking, “Can you hear me?” If you answer “yes,” the scammer records it and uses it against you.

This is how it works: If they get you to say “yes,” then they use the recording to sign you up for a product or service. But gets tricky, and these scammers are stealing money from people.

The caller will claim to represent a home security agency, a cruise line, or a government employee with Social Security. They use extortionist tactics.

The scammer will then demand payment for the product or service. If you refuse, the scammer may play back your recorded “yes” to a response that you confirm your agreement to buy their product or service.

The best thing to do is hang up, especially if there’s a long pause at the beginning of the conversation. These are usually robocalls.

Try not to answer “yes,” “sure” or “ok.” The numbers will appear as “Unknown Caller” or from an out of state area code.

Also, if you are asked to press a button to be placed on the Do Not Call Registry, just hang up. These scammers are also using the touch tones that you press to confirm your agreement to buy their product.

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About Andy Hodges

Andy Hodges began his career in the field of radio and TV broadcasting where he worked for about a decade. The Jupiter, Florida resident then pursued computers as they were coming to market in the late 1980's. Andy has owned a computer business, been a software programmer, and has worked as a Senior Systems Analyst/Engineer in the Information Technology sector in Atlanta. He eventually returned to Florida and made Sebastian his home in 2002.